| ARMIES OF THE | CALIPHATES 862-1098w+ Somcation of the ‘Abbasial ee = Moatadir Bila, traq => contury. (National seem Bsghdad) ARMIES OF THE CALIPHATES 862-1098 INTRODUCTION s divide history into periods dominated by on China, Western Europe and \eir moment in the sun, but from th 8th to 11th centuries the Islamic world led the way. Nevertheless Isla ilitary power pr fragmenta Greece, Rome, Ind have all had ked in the 9th cent ; after which politic 's technological and organisational jority could not be fully effective. At the start of this Islamic golden age the Sunni Muslim ‘Abbasid ph ital at Baghelacl, lly the € world. By the end ofit, the spiritual authority of the ‘Abbasiel Caliphs was still accepted by most Muslims, yet they had little politic: ‘tually no military power. The ‘Abbasid collapse was, however, the result of economic bankruptcy rather than military defeat, A sequence of military dictators followed, while distant provinces of the ‘Abbasid Caliphate continued to fall away. This pattern of history means that medieval Islamic history is best studied on the basis of ruling dynasties rather than on geographical Another characteristic feature was the “h sation’ of most da more limited “Turkification’ of their cavalry élites. Never= theless, many traditional Arab military values were retained by non-bedu s, such as physical toughness, wily warfare and an avoidance of ties. Arab ideals of manhood had also been inherited, above all the idea that men should do something to promote what they believed in, rather than aceept insult or injustice passively. Similarly, family origins counted for relatively little, a was given to indlividual faith tral to the motivation of soldiers, whether professionals or part-time sR an increasingly important role in most armies, for both legal and_ mor As authority fragmented, arr and more profession legated to urban militias and the from A fully developed ‘the appeared, with books written on alll aspects. k Tactika had been known since the 8th century, and other Byzantine and Greek military or naval ma neant that Isla supe swith its re Islamic I greater respect hievements. The Muslim mained ce volunte ious scholars also played @ reasons. ies became smaller 1, while pa ry of wart pic translations of Aelian’s C als were similarly translated. Treatises were also takeVOLGA BULGARS: ‘Khwarazm nsoiPoe Purian a = aN ‘Khurdsain a inva wulan.abaristan Siistan = cha avian » Ea. Kirman_Siad ‘BYZANTINE: Zazira axevosigon » Fars = = EMPIRE, gc “teag Hadhramaw "Misr 10 MAKURIA, = ETHIOPIA! WA THE ISLAMIC WORLD c.910AD = main provinces underlined ss from Persian, Indian and possibly oth updated to deal with current condi successor states of the ‘Abbasid Caliphate vied to continue exists military systems with Ii nd under differing Ic conditions. Weaker political foundations among such successor sta also meant that waging jifdd in defence of Islam became more impor as a way of conferring legitimacy to a regime. HEARTLANDS AND FRONTIERS ‘The decline of the ‘Abbasid Caliphate coincided with unrest in m: regions and a shift in trade patterns. One result was the decline of Irv wealth and potential, and an increase in that of Egypt. A virtual coll of central authority in 10th century Syria and the Jazira (Up; Mesopotamia) led to a revival in the power of Arab bedouin tibes w established several small though cultured states close to the Byzan frontier. In Egypt, as in Syria, Christians still formed the majority of population, but here civilians took almost no part in warfare. In f Egypt, Libya and Syria together formed the culturally brilliant, tho: militarily weak Fatimid Caliphate. lis armies were almost entirely i Egyptian and increasingly mercenary. Furthermore, they were between Sunni Mus m Turks, Armenian Christians, Africans (wl